Average Workday in India: Nearly 10 Hours, With 6 Hours of Productive Computer Time
DeskTime categorizes “productive computer time” ( Workday ) as the hours employees spend on work-related programs and applications—tasks directly tied to their professional responsibilities. On average, Indian employees spend 6 hours and 43 minutes at their computers daily, but not all of this time is work-related. Roughly 46 minutes are devoted to non-work activities, such as browsing social media, personal emails, or entertainment platforms.
A new report by DeskTime, a productivity and time-tracking tool, sheds light on the working patterns of employees in India. The findings reveal that the average workday in India stretches to 9 hours and 46 minutes, with 5 hours and 57 minutes of that time spent on productive computer activities. This data, based on a sample of 13,667 users across India, highlights both the intensity and the unique structure of the Indian workday compared to global counterparts.
DeskTime categorizes “productive computer time” as the hours employees spend on work-related programs and applications—tasks directly tied to their professional responsibilities. On average, Indian employees spend 6 hours and 43 minutes at their computers daily, but not all of this time is work-related. Roughly 46 minutes are devoted to non-work activities, such as browsing social media, personal emails, or entertainment platforms.
Beyond computer usage, employees also spend significant portions of their day offline. Meetings, phone calls, and breaks account for 3 hours and 3 minutes, underscoring the hybrid nature of modern work that blends digital and offline tasks.
When compared internationally, Indian employees stand out for their longer workdays. DeskTime’s data shows:
India: 9 hours 46 minutes average workday
- United States: 9 hours 13 minutes
- Europe: 8 hours 46 minutes
Not only do Indians spend more time at work overall, but their offline time is also longer. Employees in India average 3 hours and 3 minutes offline, compared to 2 hours 25 minutes in the US and 2 hours 39 minutes in Europe. This suggests that Indian workplaces may rely more heavily on meetings, discussions, and non-digital collaboration, which extends the total length of the workday.
The DeskTime findings align with earlier research conducted by Blind, a workplace community app. Blind’s survey revealed that 72% of IT professionals in India exceed the 48-hour workweek limit, with one in four logging 70 or more hours weekly. This paints a picture of a workforce that is not only digitally engaged but also consistently working beyond internationally accepted norms.
Such extended hours are particularly common in India’s booming IT and tech sectors, where global client demands, time-zone differences, and competitive pressures often push employees to work late into the night or across weekends.
The implications of these long workdays are significant. DeskTime’s CEO, Artis Rozentals, expressed concern:
“Our data reveals that people in India work significantly longer hours than in other regions, with people routinely working close to 10 hours a day. That is quite alarming, especially since it was recently reported that almost 60% of Indian employees report burnout. This is why it is crucial that employers keep an eye on how their teams – not to micromanage, but to ensure workloads are healthy and sustainable.”
Burnout, characterized by chronic fatigue, reduced productivity, and disengagement, has become a pressing issue in India. With nearly 60% of employees reporting burnout symptoms, the challenge for organizations is to balance productivity with employee well-being.
Several factors contribute to the longer workdays in India:
- Cultural Norms: In many Indian workplaces, staying late is often perceived as a sign of dedication and loyalty.
- Global Client Demands: IT and service industries frequently cater to clients in the US, Europe, and other regions, requiring extended hours to overlap with international time zones.
- Infrastructure Challenges: Commutes in major cities can be long and unpredictable, prompting employees to spend more time at the office to maximize productivity.
- Workplace Structures: Indian organizations often emphasize meetings and collaborative discussions, which extend offline time.
While Indian employees spend more time at work, the distinction between “time spent” and “time productively used” is critical. DeskTime’s data shows that nearly 6 hours are genuinely productive computer time, but the remaining hours are consumed by offline tasks or non-work activities. This raises questions about efficiency: are longer hours truly translating into higher output, or are they simply extending the workday without proportional gains?
In Europe, shorter workdays are often paired with policies that emphasize work-life balance, such as strict limits on overtime and strong labor protections. The US, while closer to India in terms of workday length, still averages shorter offline times. These comparisons suggest that India’s longer hours may not necessarily equate to higher productivity but instead reflect structural and cultural differences.
Organizations in India could benefit from adopting practices seen in Europe, such as flexible schedules, reduced reliance on meetings, and stronger boundaries between work and personal time.
Tools like DeskTime play a vital role in helping organizations understand how employees spend their time. By automatically tracking computer and app usage, categorizing activities as productive or unproductive, and monitoring offline time, DeskTime provides actionable insights for managers.
Key features include:
- Time tracking by project
- Automatic idle time detection
- Offline time tracking for meetings or non-computer tasks
- Real-time data and performance reports
These tools allow businesses to identify inefficiencies, redistribute workloads, and ensure that employees are not overburdened. Importantly, Rozentals emphasizes that the goal is not micromanagement but fostering healthier, more sustainable work environments.
For employers in India, the findings highlight several priorities:
- Address Burnout: With nearly 60% of employees reporting burnout, organizations must invest in wellness programs, counseling, and workload management.
- Redefine Productivity: Focus on outcomes rather than hours spent. Encourage efficiency and discourage presenteeism.
- Optimize Meetings: Reduce unnecessary offline time by streamlining meetings and adopting digital collaboration tools.
- Promote Work-Life Balance: Encourage flexible schedules, remote work options, and policies that respect personal time.
The DeskTime report underscores a critical reality: Indian employees are working longer hours than their global peers, with nearly 10-hour workdays becoming the norm. While productive computer time averages close to 6 hours, the extended offline commitments and cultural expectations contribute to longer overall workdays.
The challenge for India’s workforce and employers is to strike a balance—maintaining productivity while safeguarding employee well-being. With burnout rates alarmingly high, the need for sustainable work practices has never been greater. Tools like DeskTime offer valuable insights, but the responsibility lies with organizations to act on this data, fostering healthier, more efficient, and more humane workplaces. For further insights into the evolving workplace paradigm, visit
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